The “Global Passenger Car Vision Industry Report, 2022” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. Foreign automotive vision research: leading Tier 1 suppliers vigorously deploy DMS/OMS, and vital sign detection becomes a standard configuration for OMS.
1. The revenues of major Tier 1 suppliers in 2021 sustained growth, as they made the comprehensive layout of the automotive vision business.
Denso registered total sales of JPY5.5 trillion in 2021, of which JPY1.4 trillion (6.6% YoY), or 24.6% of the total was contributed by the Mobility Electronics Division operating automotive vision products. Denso’s existing products contain front-view mono/stereo cameras, surround-view cameras, electronic rear-view mirrors, and DMS as well as camera/radar combinations and ADAS/autonomous driving solutions.
Bosch sold a total of EUR78.75 billion (equivalent to USD78.55 billion) in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 10.1%, of which the sales of Mobility Solutions, a business sector operating automotive vision products, rose by 8.3% to EUR45.3 billion, sweeping 57.5% of the total. At present Bosch’s products include front-view mono/stereo cameras, rear-view mirrors, surround-view cameras, DMS and OMS, as well as ADAS/autonomous driving/automated parking solutions.
Hyundai Mobis’ total sales jumped by 13.9% from a year earlier to KRW41,702.2 billion (equivalent to USD29.9 billion) in 2021, and Automotive System Solutions Division engaged in automotive vision products sold KRW11,591.1 billion, or 27.8% of the total. Hyundai Mobis’ products cover front-view mono cameras, surround-view cameras, electronic rear-view mirrors, DMS, and OMS.
2. Camera resolution becomes increasingly high, and the era of 8 megapixels is around the corner.
The upgrade of ADAS sensing functions requires higher camera resolution. Ordinary automotive cameras generally feature about 1.2 megapixels. As ADAS sensing function upgrade algorithms get improved, a higher camera resolution is required. 8MP cameras deliver a detection range 3 times longer than 1.2MP cameras. High-resolution automotive cameras will become a megatrend.
As concerns upstream contact image sensor (CIS) suppliers, OmniVision OX08B40 supported 8-megapixel cameras in 2019; ON Semiconductor AR0820AT rolled out in 2018 boasts 8.3 megapixels; based on the previous generation with 7.42 megapixels, Sony’s next-generation image sensors will offer 8 megapixels.
As for camera suppliers, many of the cameras starting mass production in 2020 are 8-megapixel front-view cameras, including 8MP front-view mono camera Aptiv introduced in 2021; 8MP front-view mono camera Continental began to spawn in 2020; Samsung’s front-view mono/stereo/triple cameras with the maximum resolution up to 12 megapixels. In June 2022, Samsung announced that it will start providing cameras for most Tesla models the next year.
3. 120-140dB HDR becomes widespread, and 140+dB HDR becomes a future trend.
High dynamic range (HDR) allows quick recognition of details in brightness and darkness in different lighting conditions and enables accurate image capture. For example, a typical HDR scenario requires vehicles to recognize details in both brightness and darkness when exiting a tunnel, and at night to detect pedestrians in extreme darkness and fairly bright vehicle lights and LED signal lights.
At present, the dynamic range of automotive cameras often ranges from 120-140dB. 130-140dB HDR image sensors have been largely seen. One example is OX03C10, a 2.5MP ASIL-C image sensor introduced by OmniVision in 2020, which provides 140dB HDR and supports rearview cameras, surround view systems, and electronic rearview mirrors among others.
140+dB HDR will become a future trend. For example, the 8MP image sensor announced by ON Semiconductor in May 2022 achieves 155 dB HDR and features LED flicker mitigation (LFM) super exposure (SE) technology.
4. Leading Tier 1s to work to deploy DMS/OMS, and the vital sign detection function becomes a standard configuration for OMS.
The vital sign detection function is used for detecting children. The application of this feature is primarily pushed by regulations, policies, and safety standards. For example, starting in 2023, Euro NCAP Child Presence Detection (CPD) requirement will be worth up to four points. This feature is required to detect a child’s presence in the vehicle and alert the vehicle user or emergency services. The Hot Car Act of 2021 (proposed in 2019) the US published in May 2019 requires all new passenger motor vehicles to be equipped with a child safety alert system.
At present, the common vital sign monitoring solutions include cameras, radar, ultrasonic, gravity sensors, and in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration monitors. Through the lens of development trends, OMS cameras and interior radar are the solutions most widely adopted by OEMs.
The camera-based vital sign detection uses a camera to directly recognize occupants in the car. The main technologies include structured light and AI cloud. The camera is often installed at the top center of the cockpit, above the center console display, or interior rearview mirror. Models equipped with this solution like the 2022 BMW iX adopt Aptiv’s occupant perception platform where an OMS camera above the interior rearview mirror enables vital sign detection in the cockpit.
For interior radar-based vital sign detection, the radar generally lies at B-pillars or rear doors. For example, the cockpit monitoring system to be unveiled by Continental in 2024 enables redundancy detection with interior radar on the top of the cockpit and an OMS camera above the center console display, detecting adults, children, objects, and pets. In terms of models with interior radar-enabled OMS, like Great Wall 2021 WEY VV6, after the driver turns off the car and locks the doors if detecting vital signs in the car with the radar built-in driver’s side B-pillar, the system will send vital sign information to driver’s mobile phone.
Source: PR Newswire